


Heart of the Matter

by Shi_Toyu



Series: Christmas Fics [10]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awesome James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Awesome Mama Rhodes, Baking, Christmas, Christmas Angst, Christmas Cookies, Christmas Fluff, College, Drinking, Families of Choice, Family, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, Pre-Canon, Prompt Fic, Protective Mama Rhodes, Protectiveness, Tony Being Tony, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-04 00:44:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12759612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/pseuds/Shi_Toyu
Summary: Tony just wanted Christmas to be perfect for when Mama Rhodes came to visit. Things just needed tostop going wrong.





	Heart of the Matter

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: “Your mom is coming over for Christmas and I’m trying my best to impress her but now the Christmas cookies are on fire and you’re tipsy from the eggnog I made for later” AU

This couldn’t be happening. It _couldn’t_ be _happening_.

“You could help, you know!” Tony bit out, trying not to fall and crack his head open while standing on the wheeled chair from his desk and flapping a dish towel at the smoke detector that had decided now would be the _perfect_ time to sing them the song of its people.

Rhodey just gave him a loose, lopsided grin from where he was half-leaned, half-slumped against the kitchen counter.

“That’s _loud!_ ” he said unhelpfully, following it up with a giggle.

Tony growled his frustration.

“I told you that eggnog was for later!”

“You did _not_.”

Which… might actually be true. But. So not the point. The _point_ was that the cookies Tony had tried so hard to make were basically charcoal, the smoke detector was still shrieking like a debutant who spilled a drink all over her new dress, Rhodey was drunker than he’d been during Greek Week, and Mama Rhodes was gonna arrive any minute.

Tony kind of wanted to cry.

He loved Rhodey’s mom. She was amazing and wonderful and had welcomed Tony into her home with open arms. This year, she was coming to visit them at their off-campus apartment because they were both still working on their doctoral projects and had more work than they knew what to do with. Tony had wanted everything to be perfect, and now it was just a disaster. Everything was ruined. As if it weren’t bad enough that the only tree they’d been able to get was a 3-foot tabletop tree with more patches than branches, even if Tony’d try to cover them as best he could with his dollar store ornaments.

He plopped down into his chair as the smoke detector finally when quiet, eyes stinging from the smoke. The _smoke,_ not tears. He wrung the towel between his hands worriedly.

“She’s gonna hate it,” he mumbled, which finally seemed to garner Rhodey’s attention.

His best friend’s brow furrowed.

“Who?”

“Your mom. She didn’t like that you weren’t coming home for Christmas in the first place and I _know_ she knows you’re mostly staying ‘cause of me and now she’s going to see _this_ and it’s a fucking disaster, Rhodey! It’s a miserable place to spend Christmas!”

Rhodey opened his mouth to respond only for a knock to sound from the door. Dread curled low in Tony’s gut as Rhodey’s jaw snapped shut and they exchanged a look.

“Stay put,” he instructed, drawing himself up and swaying only slightly as he headed for the door.

Mama Rhodes’s exclamations of joy could be heard the moment Rhodey opened the door. Tony couldn’t see her, but he was sure she was throwing her arms around her son in a hug and pulling him close. Rhodey’s sisters would be right behind her, chattering away and giving him teasing looks.

“And where’s Tony gotten to? He’s not here to greet us?”

It was said jokingly, but Tony still felt a sharp jolt of guilt. How pathetic was this? Sitting here and feeling sorry for himself when he was supposed to be playing the role of holiday host.

“He’s in the kitchen,” Rhodey informed her. “He tried to make cookies.”

There wasn’t even enough time to feel alarm before Mama Rhodes was bursting into the room and sweeping him into a hug, too. Sure enough, Rhodey and his sisters followed close behind, all loaded down with bags.

“Tony!” Mama Rhodes greeted jovially, pressing kisses to his cheeks. “Merry Christmas! It’s so good to see you!”

Which just makes him feel worse because she was so pleased and she was going to be so disappointed when she finally took a moment to realize what a shit show everything was. (Not that she’d ever use the term ‘shit show’, but definitely disaster.)

He was horrified to feel himself tearing up and a single drop escape to run down his face.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, wiping frantically at his face, only now that he’s _started_ crying, he can’t seem to _stop._

Mama Rhodes, saint that she was, just wrapped her arms right back around him and pulled him close.

“Oh, you poor dear,” she crooned, stroking his hair. “It’s alright.”

“It’s a _disaster_ ,” Tony protested. “I burnt the cookies.”

She tsked at him.

“Good thing I brought some with me then, isn’t it? Now, come along, we’re going to go sit on the couch and you’re going to catch me up on what’s been happening in all your classes.”

Tony sniffled, but followed after her.

“We have a Charlie Brown tree,” he mumbled, feeling it best to warn her before she saw it. “It’s awful.”

“It’s beautiful, Tony. You clearly put a lot of effort into it. That’s what really matters.”

Tony rubbed his eyes a bit more, still feeling shitty, but Mama Rhodes was smiling at him as he sat down on the couch. She even pulled the blanket off the back of it to drape around him. It was hand-knitted, from Jarvis, and wrapped him in a cocoon of warmth.

“Rhodey drank the eggnog I made…” he tried finally, his last, token protest.

Mama Rhodes just winked at him.

“His father was just the same way,” she said lightly. “I had to hide it behind the Brussel sprouts if I wanted it to last until guests arrived! Now, why don’t you tell me how things turned out with that professor of yours, the one who you had trouble scheduling lab time with?”

So, Tony did, while Rhodey and his sisters unpacked colorfully wrapped presents and a veritable mountain of food. It was strange, actually, once he thought about it. Here, in this tiny apartment, scarcely decorated and still smelling like smoke, it felt more like Christmas than it ever had at any of his own mother’s galas.

And that… Well, Tony couldn’t help but smile at that.

**Author's Note:**

> Also, I'm on Tumblr now! Come say hi [ here! ](https://shi-toyu.tumblr.com/)


End file.
